Rebe Banasiak, Artist

Hi everyone! Welcome to The Brush Hilt. I am Rebe Banasiak, the sole proprietor of the hilt, master of flourishing brushes, keeper of the creative spirit and also a freelance illustrator, painter, photographer and graphic artist. 😀

As I advance on this new adventure called “a blog”, I am hoping to create art lovers in all who read my quirky yet (hopefully) informative posts about my art, journals and studio life.

Working as an artist for the past 18 years in Chicago, I have developed my own style by using what surrounds me in the city and what Chicago has to offer an artist in ways of unique imagery and subject matter.

Since 1992, my artwork and how I have presented it has evolved in many ways. I have gone from drawing graphite portraits of famous people and sport figures to illustrating mammals and birds from the local museum and zoo and also from my own photography.

My style has also changed.

Since graduating from university in 2001, I have given much of my time to creating realistic wildlife paintings and drawings from the Field Museum’s collections, as well as, illustrating pet and human portraits and sketching at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI, they offer unique artifacts to draw) and the Chicago lakefront. I have learned throughout my years working at a museum to embrace my surroundings in the exhibit halls and outside in order to illustrate and paint what I see is there. I also take advantage of going to Brookfield Zoo which offers some of the best animal species to observe and give me inspiration for future art pieces. I am now relishing with the fact that creating realistic wildlife paintings and drawings has been a passion that I never realized I had until I took two classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Yes, thank you Peggy and Olivia (Woot woot, fist pump) for helping me see my creative and illustrative passion.

As you explore my website and blog, you will view many aspects of my work, including oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings, colored pencil, graphite and pen/ink illustrations, mixed media art, and photography. I have also expanded my web presence. You can visit The Brush Hilt: Rebe Banasiak, Artist on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram where you can follow my new artwork and updates to the website. I encourage all to send me any positive (and hopefully no negative) comments about my work and the site and please also share any posts with others whom you may think would enjoy my little art creating story.